In conventional network systems, substantial and complex effort is required typically to configure network topology for switching and routing equipment. More recently, so-called multi-layer switches provide interconnection at Layer 2 and Layer 3 protocol to improve network integration and performance. However, because such multi-layer switches effectively functioning as hardware-based routers, thereby employing conventional routing protocols such as RIP (Routing Information Protocol) or OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) to calculate paths through the network, network managers still must reconfigure ports and reassign subnetwork numbers. Accordingly, there is need for simplified network router configuration.